


Small Mercies

by PinkPandorafrog



Series: Out of Time [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:15:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24747427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkPandorafrog/pseuds/PinkPandorafrog
Summary: Whoever or whatever Darcy had been expecting when she pushed into Daniel's office, it definitely wasn't the large blond crammed into the chair in front of his desk.
Relationships: Daniel Sousa/Darcy Lewis/Steve Rogers, Darcy Lewis/Daniel Sousa, Darcy Lewis/Steve Rogers, Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan/Darcy Lewis/James Montgomery Falsworth
Series: Out of Time [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1903723
Comments: 45
Kudos: 97





	1. Chapter 1

Things were weird when Darcy got back to the office after lunch. Er. Weirder. There was always a certain amount of weirdness around the SSR office, especially since the whole night in the club. Yeah. At least Thompson had quickly gone back to his own base on the other side of the country and she hadn’t had to speak to him or look at him since.

But today the guys weren’t even pretending to work. They stood in knots staring at Daniel’s door and murmuring like he had a pin-up painting in progress. Even Rose had been a bit flustered when Darcy had passed through her sanctum into the actual offices. She wouldn’t say anything, just said it was a big day.

It was hard not to worry as Darcy opened the bottom drawer of her desk and set her purse inside. She’d opted to stay as opposed to being relocated again, and after a long, long discussion, her and Daniel were working on it. But what if Colonel Phillips had bustled in with some sort of life-altering news? Or something worse?

She’d barely sat in her chair before Daniel’s office door opened. The shades were all drawn so there was no way to see what was going on in there, and the one over the door rattled before being caught against his shoulder.

Brown eyes narrowed in on her right away. “Darcy, would you come into my office, please?” His tone gave nothing away. His face was a carefully-schooled neutral. It could’ve meant anything. Somehow, though, she was sure he wasn’t talking about a sexy interlude on his desk.

“Of course.” She got up and crossed to him, aware of the multitude of eyes now focused on her.

He stepped aside to let her in, shutting the door quickly behind him. He didn’t  _ say _ anything, but he didn’t have to.

Whoever or whatever Darcy had been expecting, it certainly wasn’t the large blond crammed into the chair in front of Daniel’s desk. “Steve?” she breathed incredulously. She took a step toward him before stopping herself. “Wait. Which Steve are you?” Because there was basement Steve and tower Steve. The only way she’d been able to keep herself from stepping in it when she’d met him in the past was to think about them like two different people.

“Well…” A familiar smile lit his face as he unfolded himself from the chair. “We once spent a night hunkered down in a bombed-out church. And you were the person who taught me how to play Mario Kart.”

A wide grin split her face before she could even think to stop it. “Steve!” she exclaimed before rushing across the room toward him, arms outstretched. She knew it wasn’t true,  _ knew _ it, but for a second she let herself think he was there to take her back.

He wrapped her in a giant hug, picking her up off the floor and holding her close. “It is so good to see you again. We were worried sick about you.”

“Oh my god, you have  _ no idea _ .” She held him tight until he set her down and let her go. “What happened? How did you get back here? Is everything okay?”

“Things got a bit… weird.” His face held a mix of emotions, but happiness seemed to be the dominant one.

“I bet.” She rested her hand on his arm as she looked up at him, almost like he was a physical connection to home. “Have you seen anyone else? Peggy? Any of the guys?” Although Peggy… That would be a thing.

“Not yet. I checked in with Colonel Phillips and he sent me out here.” He glanced up at Daniel. “Said I needed to touch base with you and base myself on this side of the country for now. You keep up with any of them?”

“Yeah. I talk to Peggy a lot. Although…” She looked at Daniel too, who was watching them intently. She was fairly sure he both knew and had no problem with Peggy’s relationship, but on the off chance he was still all gals being pals about it, it wasn’t her place to out Peggy. “Yeah, that’s a thing. I ran into Jim randomly. He was here for family or business or something? Ran into him out in the street. He’s doing really good. I see Tim every so often. He and Howard are pretty tight.” A tinge of guilt fluttered through her at the thought. Except for the last time, every time she saw Tim, she seemed to end up with her legs around his hips.

“Darcy.” Daniel stood off to the side, a strange look on his face. Maybe jealousy? Maybe something else? Things had been a bit hard since he’d walked in on her fucking Thompson and then joined in. “Why don’t you take Captain Rogers out for a bite so you can catch up?”

Darcy almost reminded him she’d just had lunch, but fuck it. If she was getting paid to go out with Steve so they could talk, she was definitely on board. “Yeah, that sounds good. There’s a diner just a couple blocks away.”

“Report back here when you’re through.” Daniel’s eyes lingered on her before he made his way behind his desk.

Steve looked a question at her, but Darcy gave a small headshake. They’d talk about that when they weren’t in the office where a bunch of people were waiting for something to gossip about.

Steve opened the door for her, his hand hovering over her back as she stepped out. “Just let me grab my purse.”

“Sure.” He matched her stride as she went back to her desk and got her purse out. Everyone was staring at him, but he ignored them almost casually. He had a lot of practice with that, that was for sure.

Darcy could already  _ feel _ the shift in the office. She wasn’t sure exactly what Daniel had said to them, but no one had mentioned the incident in the club, despite the fact that it at least started on a recorded line. Not to her face. She was fairly sure they talked about it, if the way they looked at her was any indication. And there’d been rumors about her and Daniel before that - nothing substantiated. Now it looked like they were going to gossip about her and Steve.

Steve stiffened as they headed down the hall toward the door, anger crossing his face. He had that super sensitive hearing, and had probably picked something out of the murmurs.

“Don’t,” she told him in a low voice. “It’s not worth it.” It was never worth it.

He looked at her and shook his head, but they continued out to Rose’s outer sanctum, and then out into the street.

Their pace was a casual amble as they headed toward the diner. Steve’s hands were tucked deep in his pockets, and his posture relaxed with every step. “I’ve missed this,” he said at last. “Maybe not that.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

“Yeah, but that happens in the future too.” She rolled her eyes. “There was a  _ thing _ a couple weeks ago. It’s been…” She let out a long sigh. “I told Phillips I’d stay here, but I’m also kind of thinking of  _ not _ .” Colonel Phillips had actually turned up in person to debrief them. He’d actually seemed concerned about Darcy’s wellbeing.

“Where would you go? Back to New York?” So Steve knew she’d been in New York for a while. Catching up was going to be interesting.

“No. I’m thinking about London.” She made a vague gesture that probably definitely wasn’t in the direction of London. “Could be nice to be in Europe again. I know they need some help rebuilding.”

“Sounds serious if you’re talking about another continent.” Steve was good at not being judgy.

“Yeah. So…” She took a look around. The sidewalk was as busy as it usually was, but no one was staying close enough to really listen to what she was saying. “You remember that one time we went to visit Howard and, um, you walked in on me naked?” That was probably the most innocuous thing she could bring up while still making it clear what she was talking about.

“Yeah. Yeah, I remember that.” A touch of red spread into his ears. It was nice to see that as much as Steve had changed, he was still so much the same.

“Right. So Howard stopped making that shit, but he made something else. Something very similar. Something I tripped into with a…” How to put it. “Colleague? From New York. But I’d put a listening device in the room, and Daniel walked in…”

“Daniel. Chief Sousa. And from the way he was looking at you…” Steve trailed off, clearly a question.

“Yes. Yes to that.” She pointed at him. “So he joined in and now it’s a whole thing.” She shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong. Being stuck in a basement fucking sucked, but the interpersonal shit was way, way easier.” Because after the incident in Howard’s lab, they’d all gone back to business as usual. Now she was looking at going to  _ London _ because everything was all weird and different.

“Yeah. There were a lot of things that were easier back then.” A wistful expression took his face. “What was that you were saying about Peggy?”

“Oh. Right. So…” She gave him the side-eye. “She’s, um, living with her girlfriend.” 

He opened his mouth and closed it, then looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Peggy’s…”

“Bi, yeah.” She couldn’t  _ not _ tell Steve. “Happy as a clam. I don’t know if Angie’s into dudes, but there’s always a chance. At the very least, I bet you all would make a cute polycule.”

“Yeah, because that always works out.” Bitterness dripped from his voice.

“I don’t know if you remember how I spent the war, but when the Howlies took me out, it wasn’t just to go dancing.” She shot him a pointed look.

“Okay, but does your current partner know about all of that?”

Well. He suspected, but he didn’t actually  _ know _ . And Darcy was pretty keen on keeping it that way. Daniel got a bit weird at the thought of what she got up to during the war. “You know what, we’re not talking about me. And Peggy knew exactly what I was getting up to and didn’t have a problem with it.”

“Yeah. It’s one thing to conceptually know what your friend is getting up to. It’s another to think about it pertaining to you. Especially…” He gestured around them before shoving his hand deep in his pocket. “They don’t exactly embrace alternative lifestyles here, Darce.”

“Maybe not, but it still happens.” She leaned her head against his shoulder, just for a second. “So how come you’re back here, anyway? And why am I still here?”

He told her all about what had happened, both while they were walking and after they were seated at a booth in the diner. A lot. A lot had happened, apparently.

“So…” Darcy took a long drink from her coffee as she tried to work out how to say what she wanted. “You all were zipping back and forth through time, and no one thought to come get me.”

Steve let out a long sigh. “We did, Darce. We really did. There just wasn’t enough of the stuff we needed.”

“Huh.” That hurt. That really hurt. “Okay. So unrelatedly, or maybe semi-relatedly, when you first met me in the future, why didn’t you warn me I’d end up here?”

He lifted his chin, and she could see the sorrow in his clear blue eyes. “Fury had a good few things to say about it when I thawed out. I could ask you the same thing. Why didn’t you warn me that I’d end up in the future?”

“Okay, you’ve got a point.” It had been Colonel Phillips in her case. He didn’t want her to do anything that might affect the outcome of the war. It had sucked, but telling Steve what would happen may have done that. “It sucks, though, it really does. Having to get to know you again when we’re already close and you’re the only link I have?” She shook her head.

“Tell me about it.” He lifted his own mug to her.

“I had to think of you as a different person. I mean, you were, in a sense. You weren’t the Steve I knew who liked cleaning up after I made brownies because it meant you got the first crack at them.” Her voice wavered, hot tears stinging her eyes at the memory. She impatiently brushed them away. Now was not the time.

“I know. I’m glad I got to know both versions of you.” He took her hand, squeezing her fingers in his. “And as glad as I am to see you again, I’m not going to London with you, though.”

That made her laugh. She scrubbed at her face, wiping the damp tears off on her skirt. “Fair. Although I don’t know that I’m going yet, either.”

Darcy just ordered pie to go with her coffee, but Steve got a full lunch. They ate, chatting and reminiscing and catching up until Darcy felt too guilty to stay any longer. After all, she was still on the clock. She paid for the food, and they headed back to the office.

“So what are you going to do now?” she asked when they were almost at their destination.

“Phillips wants me out here for now, so I’m attached to this branch. He’s mentioned that I’ll be moved around as needed, though.” His lips gave a bitter twist. “No rest for the weary. I got the impression he’s purposely stationed me away from Peggy.”

“Yeah. Well, it’ll be nice having one person in the office who isn’t, you know.” She gestured. “That.”

“Yeah, I know.” He held the door for her as they headed back inside.

The noise level died away to practically nothing, all eyes glued on them as they entered the office.

Daniel’s door was still closed when they got there, the shade drawn down. Darcy knocked briskly, pushing it open when he bade them come in. 

“There you are,” he mused, taking them both in. “I was wondering if we’d have to send a search party.”

“Sorry, that’s my fault. It’s just…” She trailed off and shook her head. “It was nice to have a bit of a taste of my time.” She twisted her hands together in front of her. She’d almost said  _ home _ , but she had a feeling Daniel wouldn’t react to that too well.

“It’s fine, I know it’s not a habit.” He gave her a brief smile that didn’t touch his eyes. “Darcy, we are going to be hosting a training exercise for the Howling Commandos here. I understand you’re familiar with them?”

Her expression froze before she forced her own smile that probably didn’t carry. “Yeah, I’m familiar.” She had to fight to keep her voice normal.

The twitch of Steve’s eyebrow and the quirk of his lips showed he was trying not to smile, but he didn’t  _ say _ anything. Small mercies.

“I’ll need you to coordinate with Rose to make some arrangements.” Daniel closed a folder on his desk and picked it up to offer to her.

“Right. I am on it.” She took the folder and practically fled from the office. As soon as she closed the door behind her, her face fell, her shoulders slumping. This was going to be interesting. London was looking better all the time.


	2. Chapter 2

Darcy sat at her desk, typing away. She couldn’t help but smile when she caught Steve turning a page in the report he was reading from the corner of her eye. Even now, hours later, having him there was so surreal.

He sat beside her desk, one ankle crossed over the opposite knee with a thick folder propped up in his lap. He was catching up on what the SSR had been up to since he’d been gone, and this was his third such file. She wasn’t sure how many more he had, but he had to be almost as bored as she was.

He looked up at her, opening his mouth to say something. Whatever it was died before even a hint came out, his face falling into stern lines. He looked over his shoulder to the two agents chatting a couple desks away. “Hey. Watch your fuckin’ language when you’re talking about a lady.” That right there, that was the Captain America voice.

They had the grace to look embarrassed and mumble apologies.

Steve shook his head, an apology in his own eyes. It was reassuring to see that even after everything that had happened, Steve was still just Steve.

“Why did you come back?” Darcy asked after a moment. “Was it just… Her?” Peggy, obviously, as though it could be anyone else. She needed a break, and she’d eat her favorite shoes if Steve wasn’t ready for one too.

Steve let out a long breath. “No,” he said slowly. “Not that I’d argue if she turned up and told me to get dressed so we could go dancing.” He gave her one of his boyish smiles, and it made her smile too. “No. It’s just… Even with all of this…” He motioned with his head to the two guys at the desk. “This is home. And my time needs me a hell of a lot more than yours does.”

That made a certain amount of sense. Her time had Tony, Thor, Bruce, Nat… Here it was just him. “What about Bucky?” she asked quietly.

He let out a sigh, his expression growing wistful. “We talked about it. But the past held more horrors for him than anything else. He’s got a good life there, Darce. He’s content.”

She glanced around. His bringing up _home_ had her dwelling on the one question she hadn’t asked. She’d been avoiding it, but it pressed on her mind until she just couldn’t help it. “How’s Tony?” she asked quietly.

Sympathy filled his expression. “He blames himself.” Which was about what she’d thought. “They’re working on it. He, Jane, Bruce, Dr. Selvig, Scott…”

“Who’s Scott?” Even just asking gave her a pang of… something. Sorrow? Homesickness? But she’d been here for a while, and while she was here, life in her time had moved on without her. She let her eyes drop to the typewriter so he wouldn’t see it, staring at the letters without really seeing them.

“Scott Lang. Ant-Man. He’s an engineer who’s spent some time in the quantum realm?” It was a question. “Good guy. Bit of a smart-ass.”

He was trying to cheer her up, and she let him. She smiled, eyebrows raising as she looked up at him. “Yeah, because you’re one to talk.”

He grinned. The smile faded after a moment. He picked up her hand and pressed it between his. “I got back, Darce. It can’t be impossible.”

“Thanks, Steve.”

His expression grew warm, but only for a second. He shot a glare over his shoulder at the two guys at the desk before turning his attention back to her.

Daniel’s door opened. He had his hat on, which generally meant he was ready to go for the evening. A glance at the clock on the wall showed it was just about that time. He made his way through to Darcy’s desk, his eyes moving over both her and Steve. “Steve, you about ready to head out for the night?”

Steve closed the folder and pulled himself to his feet. “Yeah.” He was staying with Daniel for a bit, at least until he sorted out his own situation. Or Colonel Phillips sorted out his situation, or whatever.

“Darcy? Would you like to join us?” Daniel asked. Generally they’d leave separately and meet up together at either one of their houses. She wasn’t entirely sure they were going to spend any _alone time_ together if Steve was going to be staying with him, but it made a convenient excuse.

“Yeah. Just let me…” She rapped out the last couple of sentences and fed the paper out of the typewriter, before handing it to him with a flourish.

He gave her a small smile before he folded it and tucked it into the pocket inside his suit jacket. “Thanks.”

Darcy stood as well, and they all left the building. Dinner was shared at an actual restaurant before they headed to Daniel’s house. Daniel did have a nice house. She’d spent enough time there to know.

Steve was getting his bag from the back when she pulled into the driveway behind him. He hefted it effortlessly over one shoulder, waiting until she got out of her car to fall in step beside him to head inside.

Daniel held the door for them, standing out of the way. He motioned down the hall as they came in. “First door on your left.”

“Thanks.” Steve nodded to him before heading toward the indicated door. The spare room was nice. It was a bit small, a bit bare, but it would be somewhere to sleep until he got something else sorted out. And Daniel was a fairly good roommate - or at least as much as sleeping over almost every night of the week was able to determine. Technically they didn’t live together. Darcy had her own place and everything.

Darcy followed Daniel into the kitchen, intent on getting drinks. Drinks sounded like a really good idea. “You don’t need to worry about Steve,” she said as she pulled a trio of glasses out of the cupboard. She set them on the counter with a muffled clink as Daniel went to get the scotch.

“What do you mean?” The careful neutrality in Daniel’s voice meant trouble.

“He knows about us.” She shook her head. “I didn’t tell him, he’s just spent a lot of time around me and someone I’ve been involved with.” So, so much time. “And he won’t tell anyone or anything.” She waved dismissively.

Daniel set the bottle down beside the glasses, but his hand lingered on it, fingers standing out against the label. He stared at it like he was looking for the secrets of the universe in the amber liquid. “Were you and he involved?” he asked at last.

“Steve?” Darcy’s eyebrows rose incredulously. She glanced toward the hall, then back at Daniel. No doubt Steve could hear every word they said. “Steve Rogers. You’re asking if I was involved with…” She trailed off.

“You’re close.” Daniel still wasn’t looking at her.

“Close,” she repeated, almost a question. “I mean, I’m close with Howard.” Or she had been for a while, and she’d been around Howard when Daniel was there. He’d never asked _that_ question.

“It’s more than that. It’s…” He rested one hand on his hip, the other on the counter as his eyes came up to hers. “There’s more there.”

“Yeah. We’re… I mean, I’m pretty sure we’re the only two people currently in this time who’ve gone through something like this before. He was in my basement, for fuck’s sake, and then I was in his tower. It’s…” She shook her head. “Would it matter if we were? I know you weren’t exactly keeping it in your pants in the war. Or after.”

The way Daniel didn’t answer right away made Darcy take a step back and peer at him. “Are you serious right now?” She folded her arms, pressing her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

“I mean…” Daniel sighed. “It’s a bit awkward when your girl’s around the man she used to be with. It’s fine,” he added belatedly, in a tone that indicated it wasn’t fine at all.

“Awkward. Right. Well…” She picked up the bottle and uncapped it before having a drink. That was probably a mistake, she realized as it burned its way down her throat. She still didn’t like scotch. “No. No, Steve and I never fucked. He was too hung up on Peggy. I did, however, fuck most of the Howlies. You know, the guys you told me to arrange for their visit? So I guess that’s just gonna be awkward.” She set the bottle down and grabbed her purse from where she’d set it on the table on her way in. “And you know, fuck me very much for wanting a bit of happiness when I was stuck in a fucking basement in the middle of a fucking war. Like, that’s not a figure of speech, Daniel. I was deemed too valuable to be allowed to walk around outside, for the most part.”

He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, then closed it again. Instead he rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes trained on the floor.

“Right. I’m gonna go.” She strode past him toward the front door. “Maybe we should just not for a while, you know?”

Steve caught up with her, pulling the door out of her grasp just as she was yanking it closed. It was almost enough to put her off-balance. He stepped out onto the walkway with her, his arm wrapping around her shoulders to pull her into him. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t need to.

She turned into him, tucking herself against him, her eyes stinging with hot tears. “I hate this,” she whispered.

“I know.” He held her close, stroking her hair. “Just give him a minute. I can see how he feels about you just by the way he looks at you, but it’s tough. Especially when you just walked in on your best girl fucking someone else.”

“Yeah.” Bitterness dripped from the single word.

“I’m not saying it excuses it, but he looks worried, Darce. Like he’s worried you’re gonna leave him for someone else.” Steve raised his hand in a placating gesture when she pulled away enough to look up at him. “I just said it doesn’t excuse it.”

“Who?” She had to fight to keep her voice down. “Fucking Thompson? There’s not enough…” She winced at the idea. “No. No, no, no.”

Steve chuckled at her outburst, but his expression quickly sobered. “Just think about it, Darce. You’ve got this amazing girl, beautiful, funny, smart…”

She gently smacked his arm. “Flatterer.”

“Well, you know. But then you’re talking about someone who’s much more well-known than you are, and doesn’t have your physical limitations.” He leaned in close. “I was way jealous of Howard at first. And the Howlies are, well, you learned about them in history class, right?” 

“Really?” Darcy snorted out a laugh. The idea that Peggy would even look at Howard like that… He had a point, though. She’d certainly never learned about Daniel Sousa in history. Or even the SSR. 

“Yeah. This may shock you, but I didn’t always look like this.” He gestured to himself. “And Howard seemed to have his shit together.”

She took a couple steps back. “Howard _Stark_?”

His laugh always made her smile, so warm and heartfelt. This time was no different. “To be fair, that was before I really knew him. All I’m saying is give it a minute. And maybe be prepared to listen when he apologizes.”

“Yeah, okay.” She let her eyes move over the leafy shrubs just beside the front door. They probably needed a trim soon. “I guess I should get home.” And maybe think about packing for London.

Steve’s hand rubbed down over her arm. As if he could read her thoughts, he said, “Don’t make any long-term plans. I was a flight ahead of Colonel Phillips, and he may have an opportunity for you.”

With how she was feeling, it was hard for Darcy not to take that as a bad thing. Still, Steve had said _opportunity_. Opportunities were generally good. “Okay.”

“Come here.” He pulled her into a warm hug. “Drive safe. Try not to drive yourself too crazy tonight.”

“Yeah,” she replied dryly. They both knew how that would go. Still, she hugged him tight before getting into her car. She waved before backing out onto the street.

The drive home was spent thinking and overthinking. Had she been too hard on Daniel? He’d said it was awkward, not the worst thing in the world. Then again, after the conversation they’d had the other day.

Her grip tightened on the steering wheel. “This fucking sucks,” she said into the deafening quiet of the car.


	3. Chapter 3

Maybe Colonel Phillips hadn’t taken the next flight after Steve’s but it wasn’t too long after that. Likewise, he’d no sooner shown up at work than he’d commandeered Daniel’s office. And summoned Darcy.

She smoothed down the front of her skirt and squared her shoulders before marching over to the office door. Going in to see Phillips always felt a little like she’d been caught skipping class and now had to go see the principal. Not that she’d had any experience with that or anything. Of course not.

The door stood slightly ajar, so she rapped lightly on the window with her knuckles even as she pulled it open.

“Ah, Agent Lewis,” he said, the picture of brusque efficiency. “Come in. Close the door.”

She slipped into the room, closing her door behind her. “How was your flight?” she asked for lack of anything else to say. Despite what Steve had dropped about  _ opportunities _ , she still couldn’t help but worry that he was going to drop another bomb on her. Like her next basement would be in Antarctica or something.

“It wasn’t terrible.” He stood by the desk, fingers pressed into it as he regarded her. “It occurs to me we’re underutilizing your talents.”

“It just now occurred to you.” She folded her arms and stared at him. Technically he was her boss, but Darcy had never been in the army and worrying about being insubordinate was the least of her concerns. “Just now.”

He tapped the top of the desk before pacing a few steps away. “You learned another language essentially because you were bored. You learned to decipher code.”

“Yeah.” Those were both things that had happened, in addition to the other things Darcy had picked up, mostly in a way to pass the time. There was only so much knitting she could do. Her French was probably a little rusty now with no one to practice with, but she’d learned.

“And we have you here, typing behind a desk.” As though he wasn’t the one largely responsible for that particular decision. “Tell me, Agent Lewis, are you still thinking about transferring to the London office?”

“Yes.” After last night… Yeah. Daniel had given her some pretty heavy looks that morning, but he hadn’t said anything. Not that she expected he would in the middle of the busy office.

“Hmm. You know…” He sat in the chair behind Daniel’s desk and opened a folder that sat waiting for him. It was quite possibly one of the most intimidating folders Darcy had seen. Obviously whatever  _ opportunity _ he had was in there, and given their history… “Captain Rogers is going to pick up his shield again.”

“I’d heard.” And hopefully he’d get where he was going soon.

“We’re going to need someone to work with him.”

“What, as his secretary? No thanks.” Because as awesome as Steve was, that just wasn’t happening.

A smile touched his lips. “Not exactly. Tell me, Agent Lewis, did Captain Rogers ever appear in history again after he disappeared?”

“No. No, he was pretty much a capsicle from the end of World War II up until…” Darcy trailed off. “Fuck. Twenty-ten?” Dates all ran together, especially since she had two sets to keep track of.

“And yet here he is.” Phillips rested his arm against the edge of the desk. “It’s a safe bet that means we’re in an alternate reality from the one you were taken from. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yeah. I mean, obviously.” She’d come to that conclusion ages ago. The whole interning for a theoretical physicist for the entirety of ever.

Relief flickered across his face. No doubt he hadn’t been looking forward to trying to express whatever explanation the science people had given him to try to impart. “Captain Rogers had a lot to say about what you did in your proper time.”

Was he ever going to get to the point? She nodded, willing him to get there a little faster. She wasn’t even sure what Steve would have told him, but if it helped get this whole thing on with…

“Captain Rogers is going to need an intermediary; someone to help monitor and deploy, to keep track of incidents and report his goings on to the SSR.” He dipped his head, eyebrows faintly raising like he was indicating her.

“You want me to be his manager.” Because she wanted to have everything out in the open. Words like  _ somewhere safe _ had meant so many different things over the years, and she didn’t want anything to be left up to interpretation.

He gave her the hint of a familiar scowl. “I suppose, yes. In a sense.”

“Shit. I mean… I’d need a raise. And I’m not doing it from out there.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder to the door.

“You would get your own office, a raise, a new title.”

“Ooh, a fancy title.” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Why? I mean, I’ve been doing  _ nothing _ for the past…” She didn’t want to think about it. “Why this sudden urge to actually have me be useful?”

“You and Captain Rogers share some unique experiences. It would be naive to think what he’s gone through hasn’t changed him, shaped him.” He motioned to her. “We’re wasting both your talents and your experience with what you’re doing now.”

She’d told him as much at one point, but apparently it meant more coming from  _ Steve _ . “So who would I be reporting to?”

“Me.” He held up his hand to stop her oncoming protest. “I’m going to require you to be mostly autonomous. I can’t be coming out here every week to hold your hand and make decisions for you.” He said it sternly like he was reprimanding her for wanting him to hover.

“Right.” It was either that or leave for London. She’d get to start over in London, fresh start, clean slate where no one had listened to a recording of her fucking her boss and Jack Thompson.

A fresh start without Steve, the one person on the entire planet who understood what the fuck she was going through. “Fuck. I’ll do it.”

“Excellent.” Phillips pushed the folder toward her, pulling out a pen to add to it. “Read this over, sign it. Tell me if there needs to be any changes.”

She eyed the small wad of paper stacked up on the back cover of the folder. “Yeah. I’m gonna need a minute with that.”

He gave her another brief smile that didn’t touch his eyes. “Take your time. Just make sure you hand that directly to me when you’re done.”

“Right.” She flipped the cover over the paper and picked the whole thing up. “Is that it?”

“For now.”

She took it back to her desk, feeling somewhat disassociated from herself as she pulled out the chair and had a seat. She was barely even aware of her butt touching the upholstery. This was a whole thing.

Steve came by like he’d been waiting for her. He carried two steaming cups of coffee, and he deposited one in front of her. “So?” he asked.

She set the folder down so she could wrap her hands around the white porcelain, taking comfort in the familiar heat leaching into her fingers and the rich scent filling her nostrils. “I said yes?” Like it was a question. It still seemed slightly surreal, especially when she opened the file and the salary stared her in the face.

“Oh, that’s great. I mean, no pressure, but I’m a bit relieved it’s you.” He pulled out the chair he’d inhabited the day before and sank into it. “I know you know your shit.”

“And I won’t let you get away with anything.” She gave him a pointed look.

He just grinned, his shoulders coming up in a shrug.

Daniel came up to them before Darcy had gotten more than three sips of the steaming coffee. Steve still remembered how she took it, which was honestly so  _ Steve _ . “Hey,” Darcy greeted. Yeah, awkward was a good word for it.

“Darcy, Steve, come on.” He motioned with his head.

They got up. Darcy made sure she grabbed her coffee first, then followed Daniel down the hall toward the labs. Not all the way there; he stopped to open a door Darcy was fairly sure she’d never been through.

The room probably wasn’t as small as it looked, but the stacks of spare furniture and cardboard boxes shrank the space down to nothing. “I hope you two won’t mind sharing an office, at least at first. This is the only real spare space we have.”

“No, it’s fine.” Darcy looked around dubiously. This had all been put here for a reason, so where was it going to go now?

“They’ll talk,” Steve warned her.

“Yeah. If they’re not already speculating that I earned my way to this office on my knees, I’ll eat your shield.” Darcy rested her hands on her hips before her eyes came back to Daniel. A smile touched only his lips before he looked away.

“We’ll have someone come in and take care of this.” Daniel gestured to the stacks of crap.

“I’ll get it,” Steve offered. “Just let me know where to put it.”

“Put all those pretty muscles to use?” Darcy teased, earning a grin, with a bit of red at the tips of Steve’s ears. “Captain America, rescuer of stray boxes?”

“I’ll show you where we’re putting it,” Daniel said after a moment of silence. The two men left, closing the door behind them.

Darcy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She couldn’t help but smile. She had absolutely no doubt Steve had laid down some kind of ultimatum or something, or she’d still be in the main room typing up reports all day every day. And yeah, it sucked that it had to go there for her to finally step out of her role as glorified secretary, but that was just the way it went.

She had no doubt the guys would still try to treat her like it, just going by what she’d seen with Peggy, but she was absolutely not above telling them to go fuck themselves. Hell, Colonel Phillips would probably laugh his ass off if they complained about her doing that very thing.

Darcy “helped,” more supervising than anything. But getting Steve to do it really was the fastest way to both get the office cleaned out and get the new furniture in. The room was plenty big, she discovered as it emptied. She had her desk by one wall, Steve’s went over there. She also got her own phone with her own line and Daniel made noises about getting her a secretary if and when she wanted one.

Having her own office meant she wasn’t out in the main room when the Howlies spilled in. She heard voices from out in the hall, but that wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. The sciency types talked as they went into their little corner of the world.

The door was closed, since she was putting the finishing touches on the training exercise they were ostensibly there to do. Phillips had pushed it at her, told her it was her baby. She got the impression it was as much a test of her capabilities on something non-essential as anything else.

There was a soft, hesitant knock. “Come in,” she called, squinting at the folder in front of her. It was probably time to get her eyes looked at again, but she was worried they’d mess up her prescription.

The door opened. Jacques stood there, a beaming grin on his face. “Ma cherie,” he greeted.

“Oh my god!” she practically shrieked. She almost climbed over the desk to greet him. He took her hands in his, exchanging a kiss on each cheek. “Jacques, how are you?”

“Fair,” he replied. “ _ Have you forgotten everything, then? _ ” he followed up in French.

“ _ No, just a bit rusty _ ,” she replied in the same language. She leaned in for another quick hug. “ _ Oh, it’s so good to see you _ .”

“ _ You too. Everyone else is still talking to the colonel, but I stole away to find you. _ ” He motioned with his head.

She couldn’t help but smile as she all but skipped down the hall at his side. The rest of the guys were there?

They were collected in the large room that both served as lunch room and conference room. Colonel Phillips was there, and Steve, and Daniel, talking in low voices.

Conversation died away as soon as she stepped inside, then the room exploded in happy greetings. There were hugs, so many hugs. Everyone was talking at once. Colonel Phillips had been saying something, but he stood there quietly with a patient look on his face until they subsided.

“As I was saying,” Phillips said when everyone had calmed down, a bit pointedly. “Field Director Lewis has arranged a training exercise so the local agents can see how to work with Captain America.” He said it like it was some big serious thing, but Darcy was fairly sure they all knew it was just an excuse to reunite in a more controlled manner.

“Ooh, field director,” Jim teased.

“Yeah.” Darcy shrugged. “Basically I’m Steve’s babysitter.” 

“Good,” Tim replied. “He fucking needs it.” His arm came around Darcy’s shoulders, pulling her into his side. She rested her head against him for just a moment. She’d missed this, just everyone all together. The only thing that was missing…

“Will Agent Carter be joining us?” James asked, his hands lightly clasped in front of him.

Phillips’ face dropped into a familiar frown. “Yes, she was delayed.”

Darcy got a certain satisfaction from that. There was already some grumbling around the office that they didn’t need some Army squad telling them how to do their jobs. It would really chap their asses when a woman turned up and showed them up. “I should get back to work. Someone’s got to put this all together for you guys. But I was thinking you should come over for drinks tonight.”

“Just like old times,” Tim said, with a fresh squeeze for her shoulders.

It was impossible not to notice the way Daniel stiffened.

“Hey, maybe not  _ quite _ like old times,” she protested. “My house has windows.” She patted his chest before extricating herself and going back to her office. 


	4. Chapter 4

“How’s, um…” Darcy gestured with her free hand as she frantically searched her memories. “You know, what’s her name?” It was on the tip of her tongue.

“Maggie?” Jim asked dryly, one eyebrow lifting.

“Yeah!” She snapped and pointed across the room at him. “That’s the one.” He’d mentioned his girlfriend as part of catching up when they’d randomly met, and he’d seemed over the moon then.

“Good.” He burst into a broad smile, pride taking over his face. “It’s her birthday next month. Gonna pop the question.”

Darcy’s small living room erupted in congratulations and well-wishes, with Gabe thumping him on the shoulders hard enough to make Darcy wince.

“We’re coming to yours, right?” Tim asked. “Seeing as how we missed the last one.” He gave Gabe a rather pointed look. Gabe had the grace to look a little embarrassed. Gabe had up and got married back home in Georgia without telling anyone, apparently.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jim groused.

“Cheer up.” Darcy’s forearm was braced against Steve’s thigh where he sat on the arm of her loveseat, her drink in her hand. “Maybe you could get Captain America to give you away.” The ice in her glass clinked as she gestured to Steve. She didn’t have the biggest house and it warmed up quickly with so many bodies in it, but she wouldn’t give this up for the world. It was nice to be with her guys again, without being stuck in the basement. “And how about your super secret bride?” she asked Gabe.

“I say, aren’t you going to be a father?” James asked. He sat on one of the wooden chairs borrowed from the kitchen, holding his own tumbler of whiskey.

“Are you?” Darcy’s eyes went wide. “Oh my god, congratulations!”

Gabe beamed every bit as proudly as Jim had. “We’re expecting a Christmas baby.”

“That’s amazing!” Judging by the reaction around the room, that wasn’t as new to everyone else as it was to her, but Darcy was still excited.

“And what of you?” Jacques asked. He was crammed on the couch with Gabe and Jim. “The chief, I see the way he looks at you.”

“Yeah…” Darcy’s eyes dropped to her glass. “That’s not… That’s not a thing right now. It was a thing, it very much was a thing. But then that whole…” She rolled her eyes. “Howard Stark. That shit he made that made us fuck like bunnies, he’s remade it. Someone else got ahold of it, set a trap. I’m in a club on a mission with an absolute asshole from the New York office, set it off… On a live wiretap. Hey.” She looked up at Steve. “If we’re in a different reality, I can kill Howard without risking his offspring, right?”

Steve smirked.

“Oh shit.” Tim winced. He sat on her other side, on the cushion beside her. “The chief bust in?”

“He did. He even joined us. Now things are weird. I was actually considering going to London before Phillips dropped this on me.” She patted Steve’s leg. “And then I had to go and mention I’d done all of you. Now things are…” She wrinkled her nose. “Well, we’re not.”

“You told him about us?” Jim asked in disbelief. “Shit, there are things I’m never telling Maggie about the war.” He paused. “That limp, did he serve?”

“Army scout,” Darcy replied absently.

He shook his head. “Yeah, and I’d bet anything he’s got shit he’s never telling you about what he got into over there.”

“I know.” Darcy sighed. She’d mentally kicked herself more than once over it. “He was all  _ did you fuck Steve _ ? And you know how that question makes me feel.” She turned and shot Tim a pointed look.

He chuckled, one hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “I guess. Say…” A familiar look entered Tim’s blue eyes. Darcy knew exactly what that look meant. He shifted closer to her, his hand settling on her thigh.

There was a knock at the door. Darcy looked around the room to make sure no one had slipped out while she wasn’t looking. They were all there. No, someone else. Maybe a neighbor complaining about the noise? She had all the windows open against the heat.

She got up, taking her drink with her as she went into her little foyer to open the door.

Peggy stood there, hand raised like she was going to knock again. She broke into a warm smile when she saw Darcy. “Hello.”

“Peggy!” Darcy quickly set her drink down on the sidetable, then threw her arms around Peggy for a big hug. “Oh my god, you’re here!” They shared a quick embrace before she stepped back. “How’d you get here.”

Peggy motioned over her shoulder to where Daniel was just coming up the drive. “Daniel was good enough to pick me up at the airport. Thought I might like to see everyone.”

“That’s awesome, considering everyone else is here.  _ Everyone _ .” Peggy had to know Steve was back by now. She motioned with her head. “Come on in. You too,” she said to Daniel as his feet crunched on the gravel.

He hesitated, and she was worried he’d refuse. But he came toward the door.

“Did you check into a hotel yet?” Darcy asked as she stepped back to let them both inside.

“No, not yet. I needed some fresh air. The flight was…” Peggy’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Well, I feel better with solid ground under my feet again.”

“Good. Don’t. I have a spare room you can crash in for the night. Just like New York.” Well, not quite, considering Angie wasn’t there. “Come on, I’ll show you.” Darcy motioned Daniel toward the living room before starting down the hall in the other direction.

Peggy followed. “This seems a waste, considering I haven’t got any of my things,” she protested good-naturedly.

“I know. But Steve’ll probably grab them, knowing Steve.” Darcy glanced both directions down the hall before pulling Peggy into the spare room and closing the door. She leaned her shoulder against the door, arms folded. “I told Steve about you and Angie,” she said in an undertone.

“You did.” Peggy’s hand came up to her hip. Disbelief edged her voice.

“I did. I suggested that you three would make an adorable polycule.” She shook her head at Peggy’s blank look. “Some configuration of some or all of you all being in a relationship together.”

“Darcy!” Peggy hissed, her eyebrows coming together.

Darcy waved her hand like she was waving away her friend’s censure. “Don’t worry, he didn’t come back here for you. Said he respects you too much to expect you’d put your life on hold just because he wasn’t in it anymore.”

“He did.” Relief flickered across Peggy’s face before she schooled it away, one hand coming up to pat the back of her hair. “It does seem like rather a lot of work to be in a relationship with more than one person at once.”

“I mean, yeah. It’s not so bad. Worth it with the right people.” Darcy grinned. “Now come get a drink and give him a hug because you guys at least owe each other that.”

“Right.” Peggy patted her hair again and put a bright, determined smile on her face.

Darcy opened the door and led Peggy back down the hall, out to the living room. Another chair had been pulled in from the kitchen, and Daniel had taken it, a drink in his hand. Darcy stood watching from the door as Peggy and Steve met each other in the middle of the room. There was an awkward pause, and then a close hug. “Aww,” she said. It was too sweet for words. She totally shipped it. This didn’t necessarily mean anything, but it was a step in the right direction. Or at least closure or whatever.

She stood beside James, and he took her hand and lifted it to his lips to press a warm kiss to the back. She smiled at him. God, it felt so good to have everyone back together. And not just everyone, Daniel was there too. Although he was looking a little uncomfortable.

Peggy pulled away. She briskly swiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands and cleared her throat. “Yes, well.”

Darcy stayed where she was so Peggy could have her spot on the loveseat beside Steve. She couldn’t have planned this better if she tried.

“Have you seen Howard yet?” Peggy asked as she settled on the cushion. Tim had been up, and he pressed a drink into her hand before sitting beside her.

“Not yet.” Steve took his seat on the arm of the couch. They weren’t as close as Darcy and Steve had been, but they were sitting together.

“Yeah, Howard’s kind of on my shit list,” Darcy mused, wrinkling her nose. “Not really missing him tonight.”

“Really? What’d he do now?” Peggy’s tone was indulgent exasperation. Yeah, she knew Howard.

“He…” Darcy rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “He made a thing that inadvertently fucked up my life.”

“He does excel at that.” Peggy crossed her legs at the ankles, tucked in beside her. She had a natural elegance that Darcy had always admired.

“And now she’s thinking about going to London,” Jim added.

Sympathy crossed Peggy’s face. “Really? Well, let me know; I have family who would help you settle in.”

“London? You never mentioned that.” Daniel’s tone was a strained lightness, like he was trying really hard to be cool.

Silence fell over the room, thick like soggy paper towel. “Shit,” Jim said after a second. “Sorry, Darce.”

“Yeah. Um…” Darcy retrieved her hand from where James held it between both of his. “Why don’t we…” She motioned with her thumb toward the foyer. Her bedroom was on the other side of the house, about the farthest away they could get from where they were. Less chance for anyone to inadvertently hear something.

Daniel got to his feet. Drink in one hand, crutch in the other, he followed Darcy back down the hall to her room.

She waited until he was inside to shut the door behind him. She had no idea what to say, so paced to the bed to sit down on the edge. The bed was unmade, because why bother, and she picked up the edge of the blanket to toy with it.

“London?” Daniel asked incredulously. He took a long drink before setting the glass on the corner of her vanity.

“Yeah. I didn’t tell you because I hadn’t decided yet, and you were kinda my boss. And like…” She gestured between them. “All of this.  _ All _ of this.”

“What all of this?” Daniel set his crutch in front of him to lean on.

“You’re freaked out because of the whole thing with Jack. Which, fair, that was a lot. But you showed up ready to kick his ass because he had his hands on me.”

“You hate Jack,” Daniel protested. “I had to make sure he wasn’t putting his hands on you without your permission.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “Jack’s an asshole, but he’s not rapey. And I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I’m just about positive nothing I said was anywhere along the lines of  _ no  _ or  _ stop _ .”

His hand balled into a fist tight enough that his knuckles stood out in sharp relief, and his dark eyes dropped to the floor in front of him. 

“Yeah. And now you’re freaked out because I’ve done, like, almost that entire room back there. They don’t care. Fuck, Gabe’s married, Jim’s about two seconds away from proposing to his girlfriend. They know how to read a room; they were wondering about us.” She gestured past him.

“All of them.” That was a bit pointed.

“Yeah.” She let out a sigh. “I guess… I’m sorry. We should’ve had this conversation before now, but I was putting it off because it sucks, and I really thought I’d be out of here before we got to this part of the journey. But here we are.”

“What conversation?” Daniel sounded like he was getting frustrated, his eyebrows drawing together.

“The I’m not monogamous and don’t really do  _ in love _ conversation. That one.” Darcy’s shoulders slumped, and she picked at the blanket. Daniel looked like she’d just punched him in the stomach, and she felt about an inch tall. “Yeah. I don’t understand monogamy. You can love two parents the same amount, you can love your friends the same amount; why would you restrict partner love to one person?”

A muscle worked in his jaw. “Why hasn’t this come up before?”

“Yeah. Well, the awkward thing. But like… aside from those guys out there…” Darcy gestured to the door again before her hand fell to her thigh with a soft slap. “There’s not really anyone else I want to get down with. And this is the first time I’ve seen some of them since the war ended.”

“So, what we’ve been doing is just… Nothing? Not enough? What is it?” He was trying to keep his voice down, but she could hear the growing anger.

“No, not nothing. Being with more than one person, it’s not about you. It’s…” She pressed her lips together as she thought. “Friends, right? It’s the same thing. Like, Peggy is the friend I go to when I want brutally honest advice, and Angie’s the friend I go to when I want to stay up late and giggle over a bottle of wine. I love them the same, and it’s not about  _ not _ staying up late with Peggy with a bottle of wine, we just relate to each other in a different way.”

He watched her for a long moment without saying anything. “I should go,” he said finally. “Is Peggy staying here tonight?”

“Yeah. And if we’re really lucky, Steve went to get her shit from the car already.” He would have heard her saying something to Peggy about it.

“Goodnight, Darcy.” Daniel left the room, his uneven gait marking his passage down the hall until the front door opened and closed.

Darcy drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She technically still had guests, but she wasn’t exactly in the best of moods, and she didn’t want to go out there and be a buzzkill. So instead she perched on the edge of her bed, her mind running in circles. She should’ve told Daniel before, but then if he reacted like this, maybe it was good she didn’t. But he deserved to know. But he hadn’t talked to her about getting serious either. And on and on until she twisted herself into knots.

There was a soft knock at the door. Darcy didn’t have a chance to answer before James came in, his expression concerned. He quickly crossed the room to sit beside her, the bed dipping under his weight until gravity pulled her against him. His arm came around her as she settled her head on his shoulder.

“Are you alright, darling?” he asked, as though it wasn’t perfectly obvious.

“Kinda not.” She let out a sigh. “Why was it so much easier to talk to you?” Not just him, all the guys. But she figured he’d probably get that.

His lips moved over the top of her head. “Because as interminable as it was, it wasn’t your life. It was only temporary. You’d leave, and unless you tried, there was a good chance you’d never see us again. This, here, there’s no leaving. Conversations like that have lasting consequences.”

“Yeah.” At least Daniel wasn’t her boss anymore. That would’ve made things even worse, however impossible it seemed now.

James tipped up her chin with the crook of his finger. He leaned in to touch his lips against hers, just a gentle kiss. “Come have a drink.”

“Okay.” She straightened enough that he could get up, and she let him pull her to her feet. A drink sounded like a really good idea.

She ended up sitting on James’s thigh, a drink in her hand and his palm settled in the small of her back. It was easy to fall back into old habits, reassuring in its familiarity. Only it was better, because a cool breeze stirred the light curtains in front of the window, bringing in the scent of honeysuckle from the front yard.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tags have changed, the rating's changed, we're getting dirty... The endgame ship is definitely Daniel/Darcy/Steve SPOILERS but she just needs a minute.

Darcy knew she couldn’t get drunk. Steve had a car now, but all the guys wouldn’t fit in it. She’d have to help drive them back to the hotel. The drink currently held loosely in her hand needed to be the last one.

As soon as her glass was empty, she braced herself on James’s shoulder and pushed herself to her feet.

His palm in the small of her back steadied her. “Are you alright, darling?” The concern in his tone was mirrored on his face.

“Fine. Just gonna go get some coffee.” She shot a pointed look to Steve. “Some of us don’t have super enhanced metabolisms.”

Steve pulled the beer from his lips, contemplating her for a moment. “See, that sounds like a you problem,” he said with a twitch of his lips.

She grinned as she reached up to rub her temple with just her middle finger. 

“Nice, Darce,” he laughed.

The kitchen was only a few steps away. It was nice to step into the smaller room - cooler, still close enough to everyone else that she didn’t feel isolated, but separate enough to breathe. She’d left the lights off, so it was dim beyond the brightness of the living room.

The rich smell of coffee filled the airy room; she was glad she’d had the foresight to put it on earlier. The curtains in the kitchen were wispy things, all lace and sheer fabric. They practically danced in the breeze from outside as she pulled a mug down from the cupboard to get a cup of coffee. Nights like this were her favorite. 

“Are you really alright?” came from behind her. She glanced back to see James in the doorway, leaning against the wooden frame with one hand in his trouser pocket.

“I’m fine,” she assured him as she finished pouring her coffee. She usually used powdered milk for coffee, since with enough sugar it all tasted the same anyway. At least the sugar wasn’t being rationed anymore. As soon as it was doctored to perfection, she set the little spoon she’d used to stir it with on the counter.

He crossed the room and took her hand. A light touch on her back slowly twirled her under his arm as he pulled her close. The music playing in the living room was barely audible under the voices and laughter, but it didn’t seem to matter. It was enough to sway back and forth, her head against his chest. He wasn’t as tall as Steve, but he was still definitely tall.

She smiled, her eyes falling shut. They’d passed so many evenings like this in her basement, and later outside of it, under the stars. This was perhaps the nicest it had ever been. “Are you okay?” He’d been asking her enough that maybe he was projecting.

“I am. A trifle homesick, I’m afraid.” His thumb stroked over the back of her hand where he held it tucked against him. “Mum just sent word my sister’s gotten engaged. I haven’t even met the poor bastard.”

“It’s crazy to think the world just keeps passing by while we’re here,” she said ruefully. Seeing Steve had thrown that into sharp focus. “You think Phillips would let you take some time off to get back there? I know it’s not nearly as far away, but I know Jim’s spent some time with his family. Tim seems to get time away to visit Howard, although some of that is undoubtedly business.”

“Perhaps. Still, holding a beautiful woman in my arms helps.” The corners of his blue eyes crinkled with his smile when she pulled back enough to look up into his face. “Especially one as delightful as you.” He leaned in to give her a light kiss.

“How is it you’re still single?” she asked as he pulled away. “You’re gorgeous, you’re smooth as hell, the whole accent thing…” He was basically a catch - and relatively free of the local brand of misogyny. She would’ve jumped all over that even if they hadn’t met under the very specific circumstances that had brought them together.

“This is where you say something about giving your heart away in a basement in Italy.” Tim strolled into the room, his glass in his hand.

“See, I know why you’re still single.” Darcy pointed to Tim as he came to a stop just a couple feet away.

“Oh? And why’s that?” The glass made a soft noise as Tim set it beside the steaming coffee cup. His eyes lifted over her head to James, and there seemed to be some kind of silent conversation.

“Because- ooh!” She cut off in surprise when James spun her into Tim. Tim’s arms immediately settled around her, but James didn’t go away. No, instead he stepped up behind her, a hand on her hip. “Because you spend too much time around Howard.” She managed to keep her voice mostly steady. It had been forever since she’d been between them, and her mind happily filled in memories, the echoes of sensation of being so entirely full.

“He’s not here now, is he?” One of Tim’s hands lifted to bury in her hair, settling across the back of her neck. “Just us.” He leaned in to seal his lips to hers. His tongue swept into her mouth, teasing her, tasting her until she responded in kind. 

She was just curling her fingers in the front of his shirt when he slipped away. Almost before she could react, she was turned back to face James again. His eyes searched hers for a long moment before he bent to kiss her. This wasn’t the light kisses he’d given her before; no, this was every bit as deep and intense as she remembered.

Tim’s mouth found the side of her neck. He made a hot path to the hollow just under her earlobe until warmth tingled through her, darting down between her legs. She reached for both of them, her fingers catching on their shirts as she tried to keep them close.

When James slipped his mouth across her jaw and back toward her ear, Tim turned her just enough to take her lips again. They took turns exploring her neck and lingering in the places that made her catch her breath, kissing her like they couldn’t get enough. It was an effortless dance, enough to make Darcy’s head spin.

When she finally pulled away to draw a shaky breath, she was acutely aware of how quiet it was in the room beyond. The music had stopped, the conversations had died away to a contemplative murmur.

How long had they been back there? She slipped out of their embrace and went into the living room to see Peggy and Steve just coming into the room from the hall on the other side. Neither of them sported a just-fucked look, but both looked reasonably happy. Or at least not miserable, which had to be better than how she looked after Daniel left. “What’s going on?” Darcy asked.

Steve stopped not far from the entryway, his hands in his pockets. “We should probably head out. I can take these guys if you wanna take - or not take - those two.” He motioned with his head.

“Yeah, of course.” Darcy exchanged farewell hugs with Jacques, Jim, and Gabe, and they and Steve left.

“I’m going to tuck myself into bed,” Peggy announced as Darcy shut the front door. “Tomorrow’s going to be a long day. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Darcy squeezed Peggy’s shoulder as Peggy went past. “Well,” she said as she turned to the two men still hanging out by the kitchen. “Guess I should take you back to the hotel.” Not that she wanted to. She wanted to keep doing what they’d been doing.

“You certainly could.” James crossed to her and picked up her hand. The slow, hot kiss he pressed to the back was enough to send a tingle twisting through her belly.

“You could also not.” Tim folded one arm across his chest and lifted the other hand to rub his chin. “You got a bed in here, Darce?”

“I do. It’s kinda small.” She considered them. Tim wasn’t exactly short, making it a tight squeeze on her bed for the three of them.

“Is it larger than that horrid cot you had?” James’s eyes twinkled.

Darcy couldn’t help a laugh, even as she wrinkled her nose. “Yeah. And it squeaks less.”

“I’m sure we’ll manage.” James took a step backward, then another one. He still had her hand, gently drawing her toward the front hall.

She almost made some sort of token protest about sleep, but she was fairly sure no one would believe her. She wouldn’t. She had a fleeting thought about Daniel, but she was still reeling from what had happened between them. They  _ weren’t _ right now, and this would help her feel better. Who even knew when the next time she’d see them would be.

Tim fell in at her side. His arm came around her waist, his fingers splaying across her hip. The heat in his blue eyes chased away any lingering doubt or token protest she may have dug up. No, this was happening.

It was stupid, but Darcy felt a surge of nerves as soon as they entered her bedroom. Aside from that time in Howard’s lab, they hadn’t really ever grouped up like that. If more than one man was involved, it was so he could be a lookout to ensure she had uninterrupted time with whoever she was getting out with.

As soon as the bedroom door closed behind them, Tim caught her elbow. He pulled her into his arms, his lips finding hers for a deep kiss. She loved the tickle of his moustache, and her hand crept up to curl around the back of his neck.

James still had her hand. He lifted it, and she couldn’t keep in a soft noise when he drew her finger into his mouth. Heat twisted through her, strong enough to make her knees feel a little wobbly.

Tim abruptly pulled away, turning her to face the other man. His hands settled on her hips, but didn’t stay there. He traced out her curves, his hands skimming over her hips, his fingers trailing lightly over the sides of her breasts. “There’s lots of room,” he murmured, his lips catching over her ear.

“We’re not even over there.” Not that Darcy was complaining. No, she was just fine with where they were. Especially when James started undoing the buttons on her blouse. She’d undone the top couple against the warmth, but the rest quickly melted away under his deft touch.

As soon as he had her shirt open, James turned his attention to her skirt. Tim eased the blouse from her shoulders just as the skirt fell in a pool around her ankles. She’d taken her stockings off shortly after getting home from work, and the smooth fabric of her skirt was a whispered caress as it skimmed down her legs.

James knelt in front of her. His thumbs hooked in the waistband of her panties, and he slowly pulled them down. Tim unhooked her bra, and soon she was naked. She liked being bare in front of them, liked the way James’s eyes darkened as they moved over her body.

James gently spread her lower lips. With a glance up at her face, he leaned in until his tongue flicked directly over her clit. She let out a soft noise as pleasure jolted through her, her eyes falling closed and her head dropping against Tim’s shoulder.

Tim cupped her breasts, his thumbs stroking over the peaks. She reached up to wind her hands around the back of his neck, a sigh slipping free as she gave herself over to them. 

The things James did with his tongue were probably illegal in her proper time, let alone where she was currently. Red-hot pleasure swelled deep inside her, making her rake her nails across the back of Tim’s neck. It was just this side of too much. When Tim plucked and twisted at her nipples, she felt like she was spinning out of control. The world was hazy and close, narrowing in with each swipe of James’s tongue, each bite of Tim’s fingers. 

Her breath caught as James pushed one long finger into her. Having something to clamp down on made everything more intense, spilling her over into ecstasy. She bit her lips together between her teeth to keep it down; Peggy was just a couple rooms away. Her legs shook as she clenched around him, her orgasm prolonged by their continued touch, and she buried her face in Tim’s neck.

At last she started to come down. James pulled away to look up at her as she straightened. “Alright.” She looked between them. “You guys seem to have this whole thing worked out. How are we going to do this?”

“I want you to ride me.” Tim’s lips moved over the side of her neck, lingering until a fresh jolt of heat twisted through her.

James wiped his mouth on the back of his hand as he stood. “Why don’t we start there and see where the evening takes us?” He pulled Darcy to him, brushing a kiss across her lips before sliding back to the sensitive hollow behind her ear.

From the sounds of it, Tim wasted no time getting naked. She heard his feet move across the carpet, then the bed shift as he got on. James let her slip away, and she turned to see Tim stretched out on his back, his head on her pillow.

She went to him. She took the hand he offered, using it to climb up to straddle his thighs. “You just want to watch my boobs,” she teased with a smile.

Eyes dark with desire dropped from hers to her breasts. “Can you blame me?” he asked.

“Maybe not.” Darcy held his cock to steady it. The stretch as she sank down to take him inside her made her head fall back, her eyes closing. “God, I love this.”

“Yeah,” Tim gritted as she started to roll her hips. “Me too.”

Darcy leaned back on her hands. The angle was just right that way, intensity flooding through her each time they rocked together.

James sat on the bed beside her, his own clothes long gone. His mouth moved over her shoulder, fingers sliding between her legs to circle the sensitive bundle of nerves just above where she and Tim were joined together. “So beautiful,” he murmured, his lips ghosting over her ear.

“So good,” came out on a moan. It was no time before the heat started coiling in, bringing her ever closer to the edge of ecstasy.

James increased the pressure of his touch until she fell still, grasping at the blanket and trying not to swear as pleasure overwhelmed her senses. His fingers immediately fell away, coming up to move over her body.

Tim slowed as she clenched around him, but renewed his efforts as she came down. He lifted his hips to meet her each time she moved into him, urging her faster until the sounds of their bodies meeting was audible through the room. “Fuck, Darce,” he muttered, his fingers biting into her hip.

Each time he pressed up into her felt amazing. She matched him stroke for stroke, her ass practically bouncing against his thighs. She could feel it when he got close, his muscles tensing until eventually he fell still.

“Fuck, I’ve missed that,” he said as he relaxed back against the bed.

She couldn’t help a smile as she traced a finger down the center of his chest. “It’s always good to see you again,” she teased.

“And me?” James asked, his voice husky. The intensity on his face when she looked at him took her breath away.

“Always you,” she replied. She climbed off of Tim, her hands braced on the bed as she briefly went to all fours.

“Fucking Christ.” James got off the bed and started around to the other side. “Stay right there, darling.”

She looked a question at him, but she paused where she was. She’d been meaning to fold her knees under her to sit, but not with James looking at her like that.

He climbed onto the bed behind her, one hand gripping her hip. The other moved between them until she felt the wide head of his cock at the slick opening to her pussy. A sharp snap of his hips thrust deep inside her so suddenly she couldn’t keep back a soft noise. A muffled curse fell from his own lips as he pulled back and drove into her again.

He fucked her hard and fast, his grip on her hips the only thing keeping her in place. Her breasts brushed over the blanket, the fabric whispering over her taut nipples. At least until Tim reached out to cup one, his thumb stroking over the sensitive bud.

James dropped a hand in front of her to circle over her clit. His touch kept faltering, unable to divide his focus between his hips and his fingers, but each snap of his hips ground her against him.

Her hair hung around her face as their bodies came together almost desperately. Her fingernails dug into the blanket, her eyes tightly shut. Sharp-edged sensation melted inside her as Tim pinched down just to the point of pain. It was so much, but she couldn’t stop, only craving more.

James started to slow, losing his rhythm. He drove deep and stilled, a low moan falling from his lips. He halted the movement of his fingers for only a moment before circling faster, harder. It was too much to take. Darcy buried her face in the blanket to muffle her moan as she came, the warmth spreading out through her limbs. 

James sank down to sit on the edge of the bed. There was already barely room for her to flop over with Tim sprawled out where he was, so sleeping with both of them would be interesting. “Worth it,” she whispered to herself.

“What’s that?” Tim’s hand came down on her shoulder, and he rubbed idly back and forth.

“I don’t know how we’re all going to sleep on this bed, but it was totally worth it.”

James huffed his amusement. “It’s bigger than some spaces we’ve shared.” He slid over on the bed until he sat beside her. “We should sleep.”

Darcy let out a dramatic groan. “Yeah, I guess.” It was going to be a long day.

She ended up cuddled up between them. It was a good thing the window was open and she had a spare sheet so she wouldn’t get all sweaty in the middle of the night. The little oscillating fan hummed away in the corner, set to blow right on them too. That would help.


	6. Chapter 6

Despite Darcy’s instructions not to turn the training exercise into a competition, they totally turned it into a competition. Of course they did. And the Howlies “won,” which made Darcy happy. Even though it wasn’t a competition.

The idea was to navigate through a course Darcy had set up in a warehouse, kill the “bad guys” and rescue the vital information. It wasn’t as straightforward as all that - there was some tactical thinking as well as physicality required - and it required a lot of setup between rounds, but it was totally worth it.

They all went out for a celebratory drink after. None of the guys Darcy worked with had ever seen her let her hair down, so to speak, and she drew some curious looks as she laughed, and talked, and flirted, and danced. Whatever, it was totally worth it.

But it couldn’t last forever. Eventually Darcy and Steve took the Howlies to the airport. It sucked having to say goodbye all over again, but at least this time Darcy was fairly certain she’d see them all again.

There were hugs and kisses all around, some of which were probably  _ not _ appropriate for a public area. In contrast, Steve and Peggy stood off to one side, talking in low tones. At last Peggy lifted up on her toes, one hand braced on Steve’s chest to kiss his cheek. Then they were all gone, and Steve wrapped his arm around Darcy’s shoulders.

She nestled into his side, leaning her head against the side of his chest. “That looked a lot like goodbye. And not like,  _ gonna go home and talk to my girlfriend about you, see you soon _ , but actual goodbye.”

His chest moved under her as he let out a long sigh. “Felt a lot like it too.”

“Sorry, Steve.” She looked up at his profile to see the set of his jaw. “Are you okay?”

Another sigh slipped free before he turned to meet her gaze. His smile didn’t touch his blue eyes before vanishing so quickly she could have almost imagined it. “Mostly. I started saying goodbye the first time I saw her in a hospital bed. I can’t say I didn’t get my hopes up even the tiniest bit, but I’ll get over it.”

“Yeah.” No, she got it. Darcy wanted out of there. Now that their friends were gone, being in the crowded, busy airport had lost its appeal. They turned and started toward the exit. Their pace was a dedicated amble, Steve slowing his stride enough to match her much shorter one. “I kinda don’t want to be alone right now.”

“Me neither.” He gave her shoulders a squeeze. “I’ll follow you out?”

She nodded. That sounded just about perfect.

He shifted back enough to look down at her, and she could practically feel the weight of his gaze. “You okay?”

“Kinda. It was so nice to just forget for a bit. It was like how it was, only better. But we’re gonna go back to work tomorrow morning and it’s just gonna be the same old bullshit and I’m just kinda over it.” To say the least.

“You should ask Colonel Phillips for a vacation. I’m serious!” Steve insisted when she scoffed. “When was the last time you had any time off? And I don’t just mean now, I mean ever.”

That was an uncomfortable thought. Definitely not since arriving in this time, and back in her time she’d been chasing Jane around, and then the whole tower situation… “What would I even do? It’s not like I can spend a week in my jammies playing video games and eating too much sushi and junkfood.”

His torso jolted as he huffed with amusement. “Okay, maybe not. You could…” He blew out a breath through his lips. “I don’t know, visit Angie. Travel. Find a beach in New Mexico. And I’m sure if you didn’t want to spend the time alone, you wouldn’t have to.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Darcy shook her head. Tim would probably jump at the chance to take some time away with her, if he could get the time off. “But what would you do without me?”

“I’d manage,” he replied wryly.

“Yeah. That’s what they all say. Were Tony and Jane even getting out of the lab when I left?” She’d meant it as a joke, but it fell a little flat as a wave of homesickness washed over her. She cleared her throat like she’d meant it.

Steve’s lips moved over the top of her head. “Come on, Darce. Let’s go have a drink.”

They ended up back at her house. Darcy hadn’t really had anything to drink after the training exercise because she knew she’d be getting behind the wheel of a car. There was nothing holding her back anymore. It was late enough that it was starting to get dark, and she had nothing else to do for the rest of the day.

Except Steve was there. It felt shitty to get stupid drunk when Steve wouldn’t even be able to get a buzz going. Instead they just sat in her living room with a bottle of beer apiece, Darcy knitting and Steve sketching. It was quiet. It was  _ nice _ .

“I should go,” he said eventually, his eyes lifting to hers. “I think I’ve redone this line about fifty times.” The ghost of a smile curved his lips.

She looked up at him sharply. They were on her couch, close enough to be sitting together, but not touching. It was entirely too warm to snuggle with Steve, what with his stupid enhanced metabolism and higher than normal body temperature. “You sure you’re okay to drive home?” Not that she wanted to sleep  _ with _ him, but she still didn’t want to be alone. It was too quiet at night with just her in the house.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” The smile widened. “I’ve only been up about sixteen hours.”

“Okay, but do you want to?” She motioned to the couch. “This is pretty comfortable. I have a spare room too.” She hadn’t managed to strip it since Peggy left, but it wouldn’t take that long to get a fresh set of sheets on there.

He hesitated. “You know it’s not going to help your reputation if my car is here overnight.”

“The fucks I give.” Her lips twisted into a bitter smile. “It’s not like I’m not getting it all day every day at work.”

“Yeah, I’ll stay. I’ll have to head home before I go to work in the morning, though.” He set his sketchbook on the cushion on his other side and stood, stretching his arms way out to the side. Even with his neat button-down shirt on, watching the play of the muscles in his back and shoulders was still an impressive show.

“Good.” She got up and hugged him, and his arms came down around her. “I hate it when it’s too quiet.”

“Yeah. That was the biggest thing to get used to about Tony’s tower. It was so well-insulated…”

“No noise.” She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, I bet. Steve…” She had to put her head back to look up at him. “I’m sorry you were alone.”

“And then I wasn’t.” His hand came up to cover the side of her face, his thumb stroking across her cheek. “I’m sorry you were. And you were literally alone for a lot of it.”

“And now I’m not. Just…” She let out a sigh. “Let me know if you’re going anywhere.” She didn’t have any illusions. Steve had to live his own life. He wasn’t going to just wait around while she did her thing. Eventually he was probably going to go somewhere or do something weird, or exciting, or fun. Just as long as she knew ahead of time.

“Hey.” He studied her, his piercing blue eyes seeming to see into her very soul. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just… A lot. Daniel, and the guys, and Peggy, and just everything.” She shook her head. “No, sorry. I’m good.”

“Yeah. I know.” He held her tight, and she rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. He smelled like  _ Steve _ , the same hint of aftershave, the same fresh laundry smell in his clothes. It was nice to see that hadn’t changed.

He slept in the spare room. Her neighbors were definitely going to talk, but she gave negative fucks about what they thought. They owed her some fucks at that point. Sure enough, she got a dirty-ass look from her closest neighbor on her right as she left the house after Steve did. She waved brightly, grinning when she got a reluctant hand-raise in return.

Steve took a quick trip home the next morning before heading into work, so she got to the office alone. She’d just settled at her desk when a knock came at the open door. Steve hadn’t shown up yet, it was just her.

Apprehension twisted between her shoulders, but she relaxed when Daniel pushed the door open. At least for a second before she remembered all the interpersonal shit they sure hadn’t settled.

“Morning.” He came in to stop just in front of her desk and gave her a brief, professional smile. The lack of heat, of intensity, of familiarity in the smile kind of hurt.

“Morning,” she replied. Yeah, maybe a vacation was a good idea. She was just about ready to die of awkward.

He glanced around the room before his eyes came back to her. “Can I see you in my office for a minute?”

“You came all this way to ask?” She couldn’t help an incredulous smile. “I mean, of course. Just let me…” She finished typing her sentence on the typewriter in front of her - a report about the training mission that would probably never be read. But if she didn’t write it, someone would be looking for it within a week.

Steve opened the door just as Darcy got to her feet. “Hey,” he said, looking between them before moving across to his own desk.

“Hey.” She pushed in her chair and took a few steps into the center of the room. “We need to talk about Howard before you take off for the day.”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll be right here.” He pulled out his chair and set a steaming cup of coffee down on his desk. A stack of files waited for him.

“I’ll be back.” She slipped past Daniel and out into the hallway, and he fell in step beside her.

He stayed quiet as they made their way through to his office. She drew fresh looks of curiosity from the agents who had desks in the big, main room, and it made her want to roll her eyes. Doubtless they’d have fresh shit to talk after they’d all gone out to drink. She’d also been talked into showing off some of the skills  _ she’d _ picked up in the war, and she was almost positive they’d thought of her as a secretary who’d gotten a bit too big for her britches. Now they might have to reclassify her.

Daniel entered his office first. He gestured to the chair sitting in front of his desk before resting his crutch against the wall and taking his own seat.

Darcy’s eyebrows rose. She hadn’t sat in that chair in… Ever? Maybe once, a very long time ago? No, she was always on his desk or… She shook her head like that would help her clear out the memories and crossed to take the seat. She missed it, missed him, missed the closeness. Maybe a vacation was a good idea, if only to help get past this part.

“Yesterday was a success.” He leaned back in his chair, head slightly tilted as he regarded her. “I don’t know how much any of my men are going to take out of it, but I’m sure you know that wasn’t the real reason Colonel Phillips wanted us to host it.”

“Yeah,” she said slowly. “That seemed to go fairly well too.” Steve had been able to catch up with everyone at the same time, and it had only disrupted a couple days of work.

He watched her for a moment, one hand loose on top of the desk. “I didn’t know you were such a good shot.” He knew she was a SHIELD-qualified marksman; that was in her personnel file. And that she spoke French, and all the other skills she’d picked up.

“Yeah. I had a lot of time to kill and qualified people who were happy to teach me.” Even in her basement, she remembered Gabe pressed up behind her, his hands guiding her body as he taught her the perfect stance.

“You don’t talk about the war.” His eyes moved over her face like he was trying to find her secrets.

“Yeah, neither do you. Tell me again which one of us was an Army scout?” It came out sharper than she intended, and she immediately felt bad. There was no way to take it back, so she just let it hang in the air between them.

He ceded that with half a shrug, his eyes dropping to his desk. “I’m…” He took a breath. “I’m sorry, Darcy.”

“For what?” Hope surged through her, but she told herself not to hope too much. She had no idea what he was going to say, and she was pretty sure  _ slut shaming _ wasn’t part of his vocabulary.

“Taking you for granted.” He shook his head, his eyes coming back to hers. “I got used to being the only man around you would even look at, and I took it for granted. I took you for granted.”

That was definitely not what she’d been expecting. “Oh.” It took a second for her to process. She wasn’t entirely sure what to say. Half of her wanted to demand if he had any idea how she’d spent her night after he’d left her house. The other half wanted to melt into his arms. She settled for, “Thank you. I appreciate that.” That seemed about halfway between the two, maybe.

His lips moved almost like they wanted to smile. “I miss you, Darcy.”

Hearing him say exactly what she’d been thinking didn’t make it any easier. “Well…” She pushed the chair back and stood. “I’m right down the hall.” He didn’t stop her, so she left the office, closing the door behind her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd meant for this chapter to get dirty, but this. Next chapter, though. You've been warned!!

It was a bit of a drive to get to Howard’s place, but Darcy didn’t care. It was just her and Steve, and Steve was always a good time. Not that she didn’t get to spend time with him at the office, but it was different when they weren’t at work. It felt more free, like she didn’t need to watch what she said quite so much.

It was a nice drive too, especially after they got out of the summer smog. The landscape was pretty, with glimpses of the ocean sparkling blue in the distance.

Howard had called, told Darcy he had a new suit ready for Steve. They actually needed to go out there to make sure it fit, and Howard wanted to run through some functionality in person. Darcy had jumped on it, of course. It was a great excuse to get away from the office for a while. She was even mostly not pissed at Howard anymore.

Mr. Jarvis met them at the door with a brief, professional smile. “Good to see you again, Ms. Lewis. Captain Rogers.”

“Hey.” Darcy liked Mr. Jarvis. She  _ would _ hug him, but he wasn’t really a hugger. The voice was all wrong too. She kept expecting him to sound like JARVIS and he never did.

“Mr. Jarvis,” Steve greeted.

“He’s in the lab. If you’ll follow me.” Mr. Jarvis swept a hand out to gesture them deeper into the house.

“We’re good.” Darcy gave him a reassuring smile. He doubtless had better things to do with his time than escort them around. “I’ll get this.” 

“Very well.” He offered another smile before heading off in a different direction.

She led Steve down to the lab instead, heading across the foyer and down to the basement where Howard kept all of his Science!

Steve looked around, taking in Howard’s expensively tacky decor. “This is so very Howard.” Gold here, pillars there. It wasn’t to Darcy’s taste, but it definitely fit Howard.

“Right?” She couldn’t help a grin. “That man has not changed one bit. I mean, he will. Obviously he will at some point, because…” She trailed off and shook her head, the smile slipping away. He’d been long dead before she’d met Tony, but the way Howard had treated Tony was still painfully obvious.

Steve’s hand passed over the small of her back. He didn’t need to say anything; they’d commiserated enough about the whole situation.

The door to Howard’s lab was closed, with no window to give a hint of what was going on inside. Darcy briefly knocked before opening the door. She didn’t give him time to respond, but at least he’d have a few seconds to warn them if he was doing something deadly. The first thing that struck her was the smell of something burning, but that wasn’t necessarily unusual. 

Howard was tucked away in the corner, bent over a table. He hadn’t seemed to notice them, despite the knock. That was why Darcy never waited.

“I brought you something,” she called cheerily.

Howard snapped upright like he’d been startled. He looked over his shoulder, and his eyes went wide. “You did bring me something! I was wondering when you’d turn up.” Something clattered as he set it on the table, and he hustled over. He greeted Darcy first, exchanging a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug. Steve got a longer hug, but it had been years since they’d seen each other. “Good to see you again.”

Steve returned the embrace before stepping back. “Good to see you too.” He lifted the shield from where he’d been holding it at his side. “Brought this back.” It was probably a bit more weathered than the last time Howard had seen it, but it was still plenty shiny.

“Oh good. I did not have enough vibranium to remake that thing.” Howard looked at the shield like he was inspecting it for damage. “Now I have something for you.” He lingered, his eyes moving over Steve before he turned away. “It’s over here.”

Darcy moved to the nearest unoccupied workbench. It was cool when she braced herself on the top to hoist herself onto it. The edge bit into the bottom of her thighs as she idly swung her legs. It had been a while since she’d been there, but it hadn’t changed at all. She watched as Howard led Steve to the side of the room where a large piece of canvas had been pulled over a tall shape.

Steve had to help remove the canvas, since he was considerably taller than Howard. He folded the canvas over his arms before Howard took it and tossed it to the side. “Wow.” He started a slow circle around the suit to look at it from all angles. It was on some kind of frame, not a mannequin but stretched out upright.

Darcy looked over it from her seat on the workbench. It looked perfectly serviceable. It was darker than the one he’d gotten when he’d toured with the USO. More body armor too, less spandex. It actually looked a lot like something Tony might build with more modern materials.

“I like this.” Steve pointed to something running down the side.

“It’s not bullet-proof, but it’ll deflect a knife pretty well.” Howard circled it with Steve, pointing out this and that.

“What do you think?” Steve came to a stop, his eyes moving back to Darcy.

“I dunno, looks like a Captain America suit.” She knew absolutely nothing about the kind of features it was supposed to have. “I do kinda miss the tights.” She motioned to it with her head. “Put it on, let’s see how it looks.”

Steve looked at Howard before glancing around the room. “Is there somewhere I can…”

“Yeah, just in there.” Howard motioned to a door in the side of the room. “Don’t see why, considering how often you and the USO girls had to share a dressing room.” Was that a tiny hint of jealousy?

Steve’s eyes darted to Darcy, and she swore she saw a hint of pink at the tips of his ears. He took the suit from the frame and disappeared.

Howard ambled over to the workbench she’d claimed. He settled against the edge and nudged Darcy’s arm with his. “You still mad at me?”

She let out a long sigh. “Not so much. As long as you’re not making that shit anymore. No, it led to a long, long-overdue conversation I’ve been putting off for entirely too long.”

“What, you break his heart?”

“I guess.” She traced a finger along the top of her dark trousers. “I told him I don’t do monogamy.” Obviously not a surprise for Howard considering what he’d walked in on that one time.

“Sorry, kid.” Howard’s knowing tone made her roll her eyes. Of course Howard would know how that went. “Did he see Peggy yet?”

“Yeah,” Darcy let out slowly, like a leaky balloon. “Yeah, he did. She, of course, definitely does do monogamy.”

“Shit.” He folded his arms. “How’s he doing?”

“Surprisingly okay with it.” Her head bobbed back and forth as she thought. “But he knew her in the future, said he started getting over it then.” 

“Huh. Well, I put my best effort into something to help take his mind off everything.” The glee in his voice made her nervous.

She gave him a sharp look. That could’ve meant anything. Literally anything. “Howard, what did you do?”

He just grinned and took a couple steps toward the door in the side of the room as it swung open.

Steve came out all suited up. He walked over to them, bringing his legs up extra high, swinging his arms. “Fits well.”

“I’ll say.” Darcy slid down from the table and made a slow circle around Steve. “Your ass looks amazing, which is obviously the most important part.” It looked like it fit well, and not just across the ass. There were zippers that spoke of multiple pockets and a thin layer of body armor to help keep him in one piece.

“Thanks,” Steve said dryly, though he did go a bit pink. “It is America’s ass.”

Her eyebrows went up, her lips spreading into a grin. Did he really just…

“Come on.” Howard clapped Steve on the shoulder. “Let’s go try to break it.”

Steve gave an answering grin, and the two of them moved off to the far side of the lab.

They spent the day subjecting Steve - and the new suit - to various tests. Darcy took notes and made sure Howard wasn’t going to do anything that would actually kill Steve. The suit was proclaimed to be street-ready, and Howard showed Steve the second thing he’d made for him to help him get over Peggy. He’d made some sort of booze to see if Steve would get drunk. Apparently the tricky part was to get it to taste like  _ something _ and not like lighter fluid.

They filed into the living room after a delicious dinner. Darcy took the drink Howard poured for her and sat at one end of the couch. Steve took the middle cushion, his arm draped across the back of it and his drink balanced on his knee.

Howard sat in one of the chairs facing them. He took a long drink, his eyes moving between them. “I’ve been thinking…” His gaze focused on Darcy, and he lifted his tumbler of scotch to his lips.

“That sounds dangerous.” Darcy suppressed a sigh. This was Howard. He was going to say something she’d regret. He had that look in his eyes.

“We’ve known each other for a while.” He wasn’t wrong; he was one of the first people she’d met back here.

“Sure have.” She took a sip of the cocktail he’d made her. “You know, this is pretty good.” It was bright pink, some kind of fruity thing with ice. Perfect for a warm summer evening.

“Thanks.” He contemplated his glass for a moment. “What we were talking about earlier got me thinking. Why haven’t we ever fucked?”

She choked on her mouthful of the sweet drink, spluttering as Steve patted her on the back. She shouldn’t have been surprised, but that was just about the last thing she’d been expecting. A look over showed Steve looking amused, but not surprised. “What?”

“Well, you’re not into monogamy, and I’m not into monogamy. Why have we never…” He glanced at Steve, but most of his attention was on her. “You know.”

“Because I’d kill you?” was the first thing that came to mind. She knew how Howard treated women and honestly, no thanks.

“It’d be different,” he insisted. “We’re already friends.”

“Seriously?” she asked incredulously, her eyebrows arching. “Okay, can we just pretend this conversation never happened? Like can’t we just leave it at totally platonic friends?” Because she loved Howard, she did, but this was entirely too much.

“Come on, honey. I know I’m one of the few men you can stand being around for any length of time, let alone having a conversation with.” He gave her a charming smile.

“Yeah, that’s kind of waning a little.” She gave him a flat look, and he arched an eyebrow. “Fuck, seriously? You want the real reason?” She glanced at Steve, who offered a one-shouldered shrug. He had to know what she was about to say, and he didn’t have a problem with it. “Fine. The real reason we’ve never fucked, despite the fact that I know you wouldn’t get all judgy on me, is that I fucked your son.”

Any trace of humor and charm fell right off Howard’s face. He stared at her like she’d just hit him with a brick. “My son?” he managed after a long moment, the air thick with tension.

“Yeah. The morning I was sucked through the obelisk or whatever, I was actually in bed with him.” She pushed the bittersweet memories back and put a smile on her face. “So no thanks.

“You’re telling me…” He got up and paced a few steps away, then stopped and turned to look at her. “You’re telling me that not only do I have a son, but you fuck him? How old is he, anyway?” The look grew sharp.

“Don’t worry, you have some time. He was born in…” She trailed off, thinking. “Hey, when was Tony born?” She looked up at Steve. He was good with dates. Darcy knew how old Tony had been when she’d left, but she wasn’t sure what that was in relation to  _ now _ , or how much time she’d spent there, or how long it had been until Steve showed up...

“Nineteen-seventy.” Steve took a long drink and nodded. “Yeah, this isn’t bad.”

Darcy gestured to Steve. “There.”

“Why are you telling me this now? Why didn’t you ever mention it before?” Howard sounded like he was still caught in disbelief.

“I didn’t want to mess up the timeline. But since Steve’s already done that by coming back here…” She trailed off for a moment. “Of course, I’m not telling you anything else just in case the timeline isn’t all fucked up.” Now that it was out, she felt bad - especially given Howard’s reaction. Maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned Tony. Well, couldn’t take it back now.

Howard bolted the rest of his drink and looked between them. “You two have a good night. I’m…” He pointed over his shoulder before leaving the room.

“What the fuck,” Darcy breathed after he was gone. “Honestly, can’t a girl just have friends without the whole sex thing? Like some of my friends don’t know what I sound like when I come.” She had to lean over to nudge Steve with her elbow. “It’s totally a thing. You don’t.”

He didn’t say anything. When she looked up, his incredulous look almost matched Howard’s. “What?” she asked.

“Darcy.” His tone was a bit pointed.

“What?”

“I have enhanced hearing.” The disbelief spread into a slight smile.

“Yeah. And everything else.” She motioned to his glass. “Hence the booze.” She was almost tempted to try it, but she was fairly sure even a drink or two would put her over the legal limit.

He shook his head, a smile spreading across his face. His arm hooked around her shoulders, and he pulled her into his side. “Sweetheart, I’ve heard you come.”

She’d just started nestling into his side, but she paused at his words. “Wait.” She sat back enough to look up into his face. “What?”

“Both when you were trying to keep it down…” He pulled her gently to him again. “And when you weren’t.”

“Oh shit.” Oops. She’d always tried to keep it down, but apparently… “Guess we are that type of friend. Sorry, Steve.” Fresh guilt swooped through her. He’d never asked for that.

“Don’t be sorry, Darce. It was hot.” The ice in his glass clinked as he shifted it on his thigh. “I’ve gotta admit, there were a few nights I kinda wished it was me holding you up against that tree.”

The trees outside of the base in Italy had seen more than their fair share of action - and given Darcy more than her fair share of slivers in retaliation. “Really? But Peggy.”

“I’m only human.” He lifted his glass to her before having another drink.

“Huh.” Darcy took another sip of her own cocktail. Was it warmer in the room? It suddenly felt warmer. Luckily she knew a good way to fix that. “Hey, you know what we haven’t done yet despite being here all day?”

“What’s that?” Was she imagining the slight huskiness in his voice? Maybe he was too warm too.

“Swimming,” she answered promptly, then paused. “Unless you didn’t bring a bathing suit. Did you bring a bathing suit?”

“After you told me to fifty times, I figured you’d make me walk home if I didn’t,” he answered dryly. “Yes, I brought my bathing suit.”

“Good!” Darcy set her drink down on the polished dark wood of the end table before getting up. “I’ll meet you there.”


	8. Chapter 8

Darcy, of course, had brought her bathing suit. She couldn’t  _ not _ , not after she’d pestered Steve about it so much. No matter what shortcomings Howard had, his pool definitely wasn’t one of them, and she was determined to go swimming even if Steve  _ hadn’t _ brought his.

It was a strapless, high-waisted two-piece that felt entirely too precarious across her boobs, but looked really cute. She grabbed a towel from the end of the bed and made sure to stop by the living room to get her drink before heading to the pool.

Steve was already there. He had on his trunks, which was always nice to look at. The shoulers, the arms… He stood on the concrete deck, staring down at the water like it contained all the secrets of the world.

“I know for a fact some less than savory things have happened in there, but it’s clean at least.” She set her towel down on one of the tables sitting to the side of the pool before going to stand beside him.

He looked up at her, his eyes lingering on her curves before focusing on the drink. “You don’t actually want to swim, you want to drink in the pool.”

“Obviously. With company, because solo pool-drinking isn’t as fun.” She took his hand when he held it out, and let him help her down the concrete steps into the pool. “And I get to see you in a bathing suit.” It was that weird time where the water was warmer than the air. It was nice. There was too much light pollution to see more than a few stars, but it was still pretty. “Which is also fun.”

“If that was all you wanted, we didn’t have to come all the way out here.” He entered the water behind her, the water murmuring around him. “I could just put on my bathing suit at home.”

“You turn up to work in your bathing suit and they really are gonna start talking. And not just about me.” She waded out until the water was just below her boobs and took a drink. “Okay, this is definitely worth it.”

“I do know where you live, you know.” He walked a little further out, ducking until they were around the same height. His arms came out to the side, floating in the water.

“Yeah? You just gonna show up at my house in your bathing suit?” She trailed her hand back and forth, making gentle waves. Swimming at night always felt so different, like everything was closer, quieter. Like how it felt being outside in gently falling snow.

“I might. Especially if you’re gonna look at me like that.” He motioned to her with her head.

The flush of heat in her cheeks was totally the drink. As if to make the point, she sipped at her tiny red straw. “Like what?” she asked when she swallowed. The alcohol was also making her voice huskier. Obviously.

He didn’t answer, at least not that particular question. “I remember the first time I met you. I swore you were a pinup come to life, and here you are looking like that…” He inclined his head to her. “And now I know how funny you are, and sweet, and fucking amazing…”

It took a second to find something to say. “You’d better be careful, or I’ll start thinking you’re trying to turn my head.” It wouldn’t take much, looking like that, saying the things he was saying.

He straightened and moved through the water toward her. His fingers seemed extra warm as he took her hand in one of his and gently plucked her drink out of her grip with the other. After setting her drink down on the pool deck, he pulled her gently to him. “Darcy…” He licked his lips.

She couldn’t not watch the motion of his tongue. “Yeah?” Her palms came up as if on their own, settling on his bare chest. She wanted to lick the cool water beading down his skin.

“I just can’t stop thinking about you lately.” His hands settled in the small of her back, his blue eyes boring into hers. There was just enough light coming from the walls around them to make out the intensity in his gaze.

“Yeah?” She mentally kicked herself, but it was all she could come up with. Rational thought was threatening to take off altogether.

“And every time I see you, I want to do this.” Steve leaned down until his lips brushed over hers. It was the briefest of kisses, but it was anything but chaste - not with the way his fingers pressed into her back, or how he caught her lower lip between his. There was a question in his eyes when he pulled away.

“Funny, I’ve been thinking the same thing lately.” She’d tried not to, convinced she was just reading too much into the way he looked at her, the way he found excuses to touch her. “You should probably do it again.” Because there was no way she could reach all the way up there to kiss him without help.

Darcy had just long enough to see the start of a smile before he kissed her again. It was harder, deeper, his tongue sweeping into her mouth to dance with her own. She let her hands slide up to clasp behind his neck, giving as good as she got and delighting in the low noise he made when she drew his lower lip between hers.

When at last he pulled away, her lips were almost tingling. She pressed them together as she opened her eyes to see the intensity in his expression had only gotten stronger. “I was just thinking, you know what I sound like when I come, but I don’t know the same thing about you.”

Despite the fact that he’d been literally just kissing the stuffing out of her, the tips of his ears still went a bit pink. “I don’t think it’s as hot as you, but I am all for equality.”

“You’ll let me blow you?” She traced a finger down the center of his chest. “You are so generous.”

“I do what I can.” He bent to close his mouth over hers once again. Steve… Steve knew how to kiss. It was all little nibbles, his tongue darting into her mouth before retreating. His hand slid around to the side of her waist, his long fingers making her feel petite.

And fuck if that wasn’t an invitation. She let her touch move over his torso, exploring the lines and planes of his body. She wanted to follow with her mouth, but the pool probably wasn’t the best place for that. Instead she nipped at his lip, her hand coming to rest squarely on his ass.

Steve straightened and arched an eyebrow, a smile quirking his lips. “Oh, are we doing that?”

“To start with.” America’s ass was exactly as advertised, the firm muscles shifting under her touch.

“Fair enough.” His fingers tightened for a moment on her waist as their lips sealed together. Just for a moment before starting to slide slowly up. They were warm through her bathing suit, the heat lingering after he’d moved on. His thumb brushed along the bottom curve of her breast as his mouth slipped from hers. He nuzzled into the side of her neck, nipping at her earlobe.

A flash of heat twisted through her, and Darcy couldn’t keep in a gasp. She wanted more. She let her head drop to the side to give him more room. Her fingers trailed back to his hip, pausing there as her other hand pushed up into his thick hair. His hair was softer than it had any right to be, but any comment she might have made about it was gone when he teased her nipple into a stiff point.

Sensation jolted through her, a cascade of pleasure as he rolled and plucked. That just wasn’t fair. She was supposed to be making him come. There was only one way to retaliate. She slipped her hand down the front of his bathing suit to find him already half-hard. She closed her fingers around his smooth shaft, doing a bit of teasing of her own.

It wasn’t long before his cock lengthened to fill her hand. She trailed her fingers along the sensitive seam along the bottom, pulling a groan from him.

He increased pressure until she pushed into his touch, arching her back. “Steve,” she whispered, her fingers tightening in his hair. “We should get out of here so I don’t drown.”

He gave a huff of amusement, and she could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke. “And where are we going to go?” The brush of his lips against her skin tingled with warmth.

“Just over there.” She pointed somewhere past him, reluctantly pulling her other hand out of his shorts. She’d get back there.

“Just over where?” He straightened, his eyebrow arching and his lips doing that unfairly hot quirk at one corner.

She slipped free, heading back to the stairs. She was entirely aware that he was watching her ass as she climbed out onto the concrete deck. The intensity in his eyes when she glanced over her shoulder sent heat twisting through her.

She went over to one of the white pillars rising out of the floor to support the open roof. It was cool when she turned to lean back against it, but watching Steve stalking toward her with an expression that could only be called  _ hungry _ made it totally worth it.

Steve came to a stop in front of her, close enough that she had to put her head back to look up into his face. “Howard might still be up. Are we really doing this here?”

She slipped her fingers into the waistband of his shorts to gently pull him closer. “I thought you had that enhanced hearing.”

His smile widened, his hand pushing back into her hair. He took her lips, the force of his desire enough to make her knees a little weak. She carefully pulled his shorts down, his thick cock falling into her hand. It was the kind of wet that would chafe, so after just a moment she braced her hands on his hips and sank to her knees.

The location change had been suggested on purpose. There was a tiny bit of carpet around each of the pillars that would totally save her knees. Darcy wrapped her fingers around the base of his shaft and licked her lips. This was a bit daunting up close. Steve wasn’t exactly built small.

She put out her tongue to lick a stripe around the head. His breath caught, and she couldn’t help but smile. “You think you can keep it down?” She aimed an innocent look up at him.

His fingers were still twisted in her hair. They tightened for a second, not enough to hurt but enough to send a thrill of promise through her. “Try me.”

“Okay.” She let her tongue flick back and forth along the bottom, drawing another hissed breath. She was enjoying this maybe too much, but it was a heady thing, being the woman to make the stoic Captain America react.

The flushed head of his cock was slightly salty with precome as she opened her mouth to draw him inside. She couldn’t get him all the way in, but she tucked her lips over her teeth and did her best.

She started slowly, just sucking him in as far as she could before drawing back. Each time she pressed forward, pulling him into her mouth, she went a little faster. Soon she was bobbing back and forth, her free hand on the hard muscle of his thigh for balance.

“God, Darce,” he breathed. His fingers pressed in on her scalp, but he didn’t try to pull her into him. His other hand went up to brace on the pillar, his head bowed, eyes shut.

She pulled all the way back, looking up at him as she teased her tongue along the velvety smooth bottom of his cock. She smiled as his eyes popped open. “Hi there.”

“Hi.” A muscle worked in his jaw as she gave his cock another quick lick. “Are you teasing me right now?”

“I mean, I could be.” She took just the tip of him between her lips before pulling back. She definitely was. Because Steve got that look on his face sometimes, and she wanted to know if she pushed him hard enough, if he’d push back.

His hand shifted to the back of her head, firm enough to keep her in place. She opened her mouth to lick him again, and he took the opportunity to press inside. He didn’t go any deeper than she’d already drawn him in, like he’d memorized exactly how deep he could go. He fucked her mouth, but never went past that invisible line. 

She hollowed out her cheeks, letting her tongue tease over him as much as she could. Steve managed to keep pretty quiet, but it gave her a certain sense of pride each time his breath hitched or a soft noise slipped out. 

When he started to lose his rhythm, she moved into him, taking him a little deeper each time he thrust forward. He fell completely still, a low groan falling from his lips as he buried his cock at the back of her mouth.

Darcy swallowed down the salty essence of his release, waiting until his shaft stopped pulsing to ease away. Her knees were a little sore as she pushed herself to her feet, but it was totally worth it. “There. Now we’re definitely that kind of friend.”

His eyes came open, a deep, satisfied smile on his face. “I guess we are.” God, he looked good like that. It would be so easy to wake up to in the morning.

“Plus, still time to hop in the pool before bed.” She chose her words carefully, not wanting to be presumptuous. Like, just because she’d just blown him, didn’t mean they’d be sleeping together. Not that she’d mind, just as long as it wasn’t too hot in her room. She started past him, intent on the stairs.

He caught her arm and pulled her back until she was once again pressed against the pillar. “Not so fast.” His voice was husky - satisfied, but there was still a hunger there. “See, I’ve had this pretty persistent fantasy about you, and I figure this is as close as we’re gonna get.”

Her eyebrows rose. Steve had been fantasizing about  _ her _ ? “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

His hand found her waist, and he stepped into her and kissed her hard. A soft noise escaped as he nipped at her lip, her head knocking against the column as she leaned back to meet him.

He didn’t stay there for long, instead leaning down to murmur directly in her ear. “Thor had you all tucked up against him one time.” His hand dropped from her hip, trailing across her bathing suit until he traced the crease where her thigh met her body. She shifted her feet apart, giving him more room.

Darcy  _ swore _ someone had walked in on them that one time in the communal locker room, but Thor insisted no one was there. Apparently he’d been wrong. “Oh shit.”

“Didn’t see anything, don’t worry. I left right away, but I heard you make this noise.” Steve nipped at the side of her neck, his fingers working down into her bathing suit until he could find her center. A jolt of pleasure shivered through her.

“A noise?” Her brain threatened to short circuit when he rubbed a quick circle right over her sensitive nub.

“Thor must’ve been teasing you pretty good.” His other hand slid up her arm to rest on her shoulder, pinning her there. “So desperate, so out of control. And what if I had you up against one of those trees, making those noises for me?”

The heat that twisted through her was enough to make her knees weak. “Fuck!” Darcy whispered, her eyes falling shut. She reached for him, grabbing at his upper arm, his words intensifying the sensation his skilled touch pushed into her.

It was just the right amount of pressure, each tight circle adding to the heat building up deep inside her. His touch was absolute pleasure, sparking through her like a live wire.

Steve was as good at this as he was at everything else. She couldn’t help but shift against him, trying to get more. It was no time before she was on the brink of ecstasy, her head back as she clutched at him. So close, she felt sure the next stroke would topple her over, and the next one, and the next one.

Given what he’d said about teasing her, it was no surprise when he stopped. His touch fell away, dropping to trail lightly up the inside of her thigh.

“You’re mean,” she protested, half-meaning it.

“Maybe.” He nuzzled into the sensitive hollow behind her ear. “But you’re going to come so hard you’ll only want more.”

She knew he was right. Still, it was a little frustrating as he waited for the heat pinging through her to be not quite so immediate. He seemed to know, his touch settling over her sensitive nub before the pleasure he’d built up started fading away.

He was an expert on knowing when to stop too. He’d roll over her clit until her body lit up with pleasure, pulling tight until she hovered right at the edge. And then he’d stop, stroking her thigh, or caressing her hip with his thumb until it ebbed away. She tried to help herself, but he effortlessly batted her hands away.

His other hand settled over her mouth, muffling the noises she couldn’t keep in, the pleas when his touch fell away. It took less effort each time, until her center felt swollen and achy, desperate for release.

Her needy protest was muffled behind his fingers as his hand slipped out of her bathing suit. She forced herself to open her eyes, to meet the intensity in his blue gaze. She felt like she was stretched too tight, her muscles straining for the orgasm he kept denying her. She shook her head as much as she could.

“Fuck, you’re hot like this.” His eyes moved over her, hungry enough to pull out another soft noise. “I’ve heard you come before, but never for me. Can you do that for me?”

Darcy nodded frantically.

He again found her center, and he only had to circle a few times over her needy clit before she absolutely shattered. The world fell away, nothing but Steve’s body holding her in place and the unending ecstasy flooding through her. It was almost too much to even comprehend.

Steve didn’t even slow down, seeming intent on dragging out every last ounce of pleasure. At last she started to come down, and he slipped free. He pressed a kiss to her temple, his hand falling to her waist to support her.

“Um,” she managed, leaning heavily against the column. She wasn’t sure she could move if she tried. She wasn’t even sure she could stand up on her own.

“Darcy…” Steve leaned in to brush his lips over hers. “Let’s go to bed.” His voice held more than a hint of the hunger he’d displayed earlier. She was almost afraid to look, but that was definitely the hard outline of his cock under his shorts.

Her mouth went dry. Unless she was very mistaken, she was in for a long night. “Okay. But I will need to sleep at some point so I can drive tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry.” He leaned down, and before she knew it he’d swept her into his arms, up against the wall of his chest. “I can drive.” He started toward the door that would lead them inside.

“You know I can walk, right?” It wasn’t really a protest so much as an observation. And she  _ could _ walk normally. Maybe not right that second, but give her a minute or two…

“I know. But I’ve wanted to have you in my arms for a while now. Let me have this.” He gave her a quick grin.

She traced the slope of his shoulder. He was still so warm, although the increased blood flow had made her warm up a bit too. “If you’ve been fantasizing about me for a while, why didn’t you say anything?”

“Well…” He stopped so she could open the door, and easily carried her inside. “In your time, you weren’t my Darcy. It felt a bit awkward.”

Yeah, she understood that. Just like in that base in Italy, he hadn’t been her Steve. Not yet. “Am I your Darcy now?” She meant it as a tease, but entirely too much honesty was in her tone - enough to make her regret it.

“After everything we’ve been through?” He stopped walking just long enough to give her a brief kiss. “I’d say so. How about you?”

She smiled as she rested her head against the upper swell of his chest. “Definitely.”

**Author's Note:**

> Time-traveling Darcy spends WWII in the basement! So this takes place after A Mess. I plan on poking at it a bit here and there. Chances are really good the rating's going up and there will be more ship tags as I go.


End file.
